BioCentury Publishes Investor Picks for New Biotech Bellwethers in 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - January 11, 2010) - Biopharmaceutical investors gathering
here this week for the 28th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
anticipate that four potential blockbusters could be produced by
biotechnology companies this year, and propel the ascendance of a new class
of bellwethers in the sector.

Asset managers polled in the 18th Annual Buyside
View, published today in BioCentury, the Bernstein Report on
BioBusiness, also see value in big cap biotech names, which are seen as
ripe for an upward move after losing their luster compared to big pharma in
2009.

With biotech companies raising $6 billion from follow-ons in 2009 -- the
second-largest follow-on year on record -- investors expect even a mild
economic recovery will bode well for public biotechs in 2010, providing
enough stability to allow smaller cap companies to access cash.

"There's room for the biotech group to move up without overheating," said
Karen Bernstein, Ph.D., Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of BioCentury. "While
the broader healthcare indices outpaced the general markets in 4Q09, the
biotech space has yet to follow suit."

According to the Buyside View and BioCentury's companion 2010 Financial
Markets Preview, the compounds to watch this year include Prolia denosumab
for osteoporosis from Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN), along with three drugs that
could elevate their developers into biotech's top tier: Benlysta belimumab
for lupus from Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:HGSI), telaprevir for
hepatitis C from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX) and Provenge
sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer from Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ:DNDN).

Investors also are seeing a full calendar of late-stage clinical and
regulatory milestones in diseases ranging from Alzheimer's and cancer to
cystic fibrosis, diabetes and heart failure, including companies such as:

Products from these companies are included in BioCentury's lists of more
than 125 late-stage clinical milestones upcoming for biotech and pharma
companies in 2010, along with anticipated FDA or EMEA actions on nearly 40
drug applications.

BioCentury kicks off each year with the Buyside View and the BioCentury Financial
Markets Preview. This agenda-setting package surveys senior venture
capital investors, global money managers and investment bankers to identify
the drivers for investment in biotech drug and diagnostics developers for
the coming year.

The first Buyside View was published in 1993 in conjunction with the
Hambrecht & Quist Life Science Conference, the precursor to this week's
J.P. Morgan event. With the 2010 report, BioCentury is beginning its 18th
year as the gatekeeper for market intelligence for the biotechnology
industry and its partners in the investment community and the
pharmaceutical industry.

January also begins the third year of SciBX: Science-Business
eXchange™, BioCentury's joint publishing venture with Nature
Publishing Group. SciBX provides the first comprehensive compendium of
scientific developments with commercial potential in the biopharma
industries. To find out more, go to www.scibx.com.

To start a trial of BioCentury, the Bernstein Report on BioBusiness, please
email subscribe@biocentury.com, or call +1 650-595-5333.

The 17th Annual Future Leaders in the Biotech Industry
April 8, 2010, New York City
The 11th Annual BioEquity Europe 2010
May 19-20, 2010
Zurich, Switzerland
The 17th Annual NewsMakers in the Biotech Industry
Fall 2010, New York City

BioCentury Publications, Inc., independently owned and based in Redwood
City, Calif., provides essential biopharma intelligence from offices in the
U.S. and Europe. For more than 17 years, a global audience of biotech and
pharmaceutical executives and investors has benefited from BioCentury's
deep knowledge, data-driven analysis, independent perspective and
trustworthy content available through the company's publications, online
business intelligence resources and collaborative industry conferences.
Long respected for the thought leadership provided by BioCentury, the
Bernstein Report on BioBusiness™, the company also publishes BioCentury
Extra, a concise daily news report for executives, and BioCentury Part II,
a complete weekly compendium of deals, product developments and financing
events. SciBX: Science-Business eXchange™, BioCentury's joint publishing
venture with Nature Publishing Group, provides the first comprehensive
compendium of new scientific developments with commercial potential for the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. These authoritative reports
are backed by the BCIQ™ online business intelligence platform, which
provides access to information on more than 5,000 public and private
companies, 10,000 biopharma compounds and $260 billion in financings. For
more information, please visit www.biocentury.com.